Putin won a landslide victory in the presidential election held last Sunday after defeating his three challengers easily without much resistance.
The Russian strongman was ahead with 87.28 percent of the vote, the highest winning figure since Russia became an independent country breaking away from the Soviet Union.
Reuters exclusively reports Putin will travel to China to meet with president Xi Jinping.
One source said Putin’s trip to China would likely take place in the second half of May. Two other sources said Putin’s visit would come before Xi’s trip to Europe.
Putin’s official inauguration as president is scheduled for May 7.
The TASS news agency reported that in a meeting with parliamentary factions on Tuesday (19 March), the leader of the Communist Party, Gennady Zyuganov, asked Putin to choose Beijing for his first visit.
“I hope your first visit will be to the East, not the West. Comrade (Chinese President) Xi Jinping is waiting for you to visit, he loves our country very much,” TASS quoted Zyuganov as saying.
Putin promised to consider the trip.
“I will definitely consider what you just said,” the 71-year-old president said with a smile
Western governments have condemned Putin’s re-election as an unfair and undemocratic presidential election process.
However, China, India and North Korea congratulated the figure who had led Russia for 24 years on extending his rule for another six years.
Relations between Russia and China have become increasingly friendly, especially after the “Red Bear” invasion of Ukraine.
The two countries declared a “borderless” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine, sparking a long-running war that has yet to be resolved.
China has strengthened trade and military ties with Russia in recent years as the US and its allies imposed sanctions on both countries, especially after Moscow’s invasion of Kiev.
Putin and Xi both see Western countries currently experiencing decline.
The two leaders often boast a close personal friendship and have met more than 40 times.
The last meeting was held in October last year when Putin was Xi’s guest of honor at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) conference in Beijing.